U.S. speedskaters aim to avoid Sochi repeat

In 2014, problems with training, high-tech skin suits led to debacle.

PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA — Perhaps no team has more to prove at the Pyeongchang Olympics than the U.S. speedskaters.

Limited to one medal four years ago, they are eager to bounce back and show why their sport has produced the most

medals for the U.S. in the Winter Games. Going 0 for 12 in long track and 1 for 8 in short track in Sochi was a “disaster,” long track skater Mitch Whitmore said.

It’s certainly a memory the Americans haven’t forgotten, either.

“The thought is definitely in the back of my mind: You don’t want that to happen again,” Brittany Bowe said. “You just have to bring it back to, ‘Have I done everything I can to prepare myself the best way I can?’ I can answer that, ‘Yes.’ ”

That’s quite a change from 2014, when the Americans debuted a high-tech skin suit they thought would lead to more gold, silver and bronze.

Instead, it was an unqualified failure. Skaters complained the suit was too tight, and they were stuck dealing with sizing issues on the day of their races. To compound their woes, the Americans trained outdoors at altitude leading up to the Games when the venue in Sochi was indoors at sea level.

‘You just have to bring it back to, “Have I done everything I can to prepare myself the best way I can?” I can answer that, “Yes.” ’ Brittany Bowe U.S. speedskater

JOHN LOCHER / ASSOCIATED PRESS U.S. speedskater Shani Davis (right), training Friday at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, is part of a U.S. speedskating squad feeling confident it can avoid the problems that plagued it in 2014.